Treant
A treant is a fictional creature found in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, based on the Lord of the Rings Ent. Description Treants are sentient trees with human characteristics. They are typically portrayed as protectors of the forests and antagonists to industrialization and despoiling of nature. They are typically allies of druids and fey, opposing malicious races such as orcs. Publication history Treants are based on Ents from Tolkien's work."'Ent' is interesting; Tolkien took the name from an old Anglo-Saxon word for 'giant,' and his treatment of them as sentient trees is inspired. This sort of creature appears in both game systems." The creature was called an ent in the original Dungeons & Dragons, and its name was later changed to treant. ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (1974–1976) The ent (treant in later printings) was one of the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' "white box" set (1974), where they were described as tree-like creatures able to command trees, and lawful in nature.Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson. Dungeons & Dragons (3-Volume Set) (TSR, 1974) ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 1st edition (1977–1988) The treant appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977),Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual (TSR, 1977) where it is described as combining the features of both humans and trees, and dwelling in forests and indistinguishable from trees, and can cause trees to come to life and move. The treant was detailed in Dragon #79 (November 1983), in the "Ecology of the Treant".Lawson, Susan. "Ecology of the Treant." Dragon #79 (TSR, 1983) The rivertree treant variant appeared in Dragon #108 (April 1986). ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (1977–1999) This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the treant, in the Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set (1981 & 1983),Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson 1974, edited by Dave Cook. Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set (TSR, 1981)Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson 1974, edited by Frank Mentzer. Dungeons & Dragons Set 2: Expert Rules (TSR, 1983) The treant appears as a player character class in Tall Tales of the Wee Folk in the "DM's booklet" (1989). The treant was also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991).Allston, Aaron, Steven E. Schend, Jon Pickens, and Dori Warty (Editors). Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (TSR, 1991) ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd edition (1989–1999) The treant appears first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989),Cook, David, et al. Monstrous Compendium Volume One (TSR, 1989) and is reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).Stewart, Doug, ed. Monstrous Manual (TSR, 1993) The lyrannikin (black treant) appeared for the Greyhawk campaign setting in From the Ashes (1992).Sargent, Carl. From the Ashes (TSR, 1992) The evil treant and the undead treant first appeared for the Ravenloft setting in Monstrous Compendium Ravenloft Appendix (1991). The evil treant (blackroot) first appeared in Monstrous Compendium Ravenloft Appendix II (1993). All of these creatures were reprinted in Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium I & II (1996), and the evil treant (blackroot) also appeared in The Shadow Rift (1996). The Athasian treant appeared for the Dark Sun setting in Ivory Triangle (1993). A chaotic evil treant appeared in Encyclopedia Magica Vol. 1 (1994). The frost treants appeared in Dungeon #61 (September 1996). ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3.0 edition (2000–2002) The treant appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000).Cook, Monte, Jonathan Tweet, and Skip Williams. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2000) The elder treant is introduced in the Epic Level Handbook (2002).Collins, Andy, Bruce R. Cordell, and Thomas M. Reid. Epic Level Handbook (Wizards of the Coast, 2002) Suggestions for combat with treants are provided in Dragon #283 (May 2001).Baur, Wolfgang. "Vs. Treants." Dragon #283 (Paizo Publishing, 2001) Savage Species (2003) presented the treant as both a race and a playable class. ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3.5 edition (2003–2007) The treant appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003). The corrupted treant appears in Dragon #350 (December 2006). ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 4th edition (2008–2013) The treant appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008), along with the blackroot treant.Mearls, Mike, Stephen Schubert, and James Wyatt. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2008) The treant reappears in the Monster Vault (2010) along with the bramblewood treant and the treant grove guardian. ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 5th edition (2014–) The treant appears in the Monster Manual for this edition as a 'huge plant'. Treants are usually chaotic good in alignment and have a challenge rating of nine. Normally treants speak Common, Druidic, Elven, and Sylvan. Miniatures The treant appears in the D&D Miniatures: Giants of Legend set (2004). The blackroot treant appears in the D&D Miniatures: Against the Giants set (2008). References Category:Dungeons & Dragons plants Category:Dungeons & Dragons standard creatures Category:Fictional trees